How to Stay Healthy as You Age

As we age our bodies become less efficient and they sometimes need a bit extra work to keep you fit and healthy as you age...

Keep Active

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This does not mean you have to join the local gym or go jogging, nothing as strenuous as that.  Find something you like to do and get involved. If you have a dog, for instance, walking them is a great way of you getting exercise as well. If there is a local keep fit class for older people, give it a go you mind find you enjoy it. For some people it’s gardening, for some it is playing with grandchildren when they look after them while parents are at work. For some, it is getting involved in volunteer work. There is no end of options for keeping active and the health benefits from this can be enormous.

You will find you suffer less from joint pains and you will be less prone to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases.

Eat Healthy

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Eating the right foods is crucial if you want to stay healthy. Avoid too many salty and sugary foods and opt instead for fresh fruits and vegetables. If you have finished work, you may find you now have the time to prepare much healthier meals using fresh products instead of processed ones.  Unless you
already have a health problem that restricts your diet to certain things, you should eat as many fresh foods as possible.

Don’t Skip Health Screenings

Health screening can pick up on problems before you have any symptoms. Eye tests, for instance, can show the early stages of diabetes as well as degradation in eyesight that might benefit from glasses or contact lenses and mammograms can show the start of a tumor in the breast long before any sign
manifests itself. There are health screenings for many different sorts of illnesses and conditions, and you should make sure you have them so that any problems are caught early while they are easier to treat.

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Keep You Brain Busy

Keeping your brain busy can help to stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which is rampant in the US. In Fact, it is said that learning a second language triggers receptors in the brain that help fight off both of these problems. That is not for everyone though, but puzzles and games are a good way of keeping your brain alert.

If You Are Tired, Sleep

As we get older our sleep patterns can change. We still need 7 – 9 hours in each 24 to maintain optimum health, but it is not unusual for older people to have a couple of hours in the afternoon, and a shorter sleep at night. Basically, you should listen to your body and if you are tired, have a nap.

Maintain Friendships

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Over a quarter of older people in the US live on their own. This is very common because of losing their spouse, but they should still make sure they see their friends and socialize. Reach out to other people you know are living alone as you could make a difference to their life as well.

Growing older does not mean we have to give up on life, there are still plenty of things we can do and enjoy. It just means that sometimes we have to make a bit more effort.

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